Award-Winning Author Timothy Egan Will Lecture at Beall-Russell Lecture in the Humanities

WACO, Texas (Sept. 19, 2013) - Baylor University's College of Arts and Sciences will host its annual Beall-Russell Lecture in the Humanities on Monday, Sept. 23. This year's lecture features Timothy Egan, award-winning author, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, The New York Times columnist and regular BBC radio contributor.

Egan most recently published a biography of Edward S. Curtis, the famous photographer of American Indians, which was named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly. He is also the author of "The Worst Hard Time: the Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl," which won the 2006 National Book Award for nonfiction and was used to provide background for a PBS special on the Dust Bowl.

"We chose Pulitzer Prize-winning author Timothy Egan to deliver the 2013 Beall-Russell Lecture in the Humanities because of the historical scope of his publications, many of which delve into the personal stories of ordinary human beings," said Kim Kellison, Ph.D., associate professor of history, director of undergraduate studies and co-chair of the Beall-Russell Committee.

"While some of our students have family members who lived through the Dust Bowl, all who attend the lecture will identify with the tales of individual, family and community struggle and endurance that emerge from this book," she said.

The lecture is free and open to the public and will be held at 3:30 p.m. in Room 510 of the Cashion Academic Center, 1401 South 4th St.

Baylor University is a private Christian university and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.

ABOUT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University's oldest and largest academic division, consisting of 26 academic departments and 13 academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. Faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit www.baylor.edu/artsandsciences